vendredi 26 octobre 2012

App translates languages during real-time phonecalls

Japan-based NTT DOCOMO’s Hanashite Hon’yaku app enables
speakers of two different languages to carry out a phone conversation by
translating their speech in real-time.
Web users can already easily take advantage of translation services
that convert text from one language to another, and we’ve also seen TransFire
bring that capability to web-based instant messaging on smartphones.
Providing a similar service for speech conversations, Japan-based NTT
DOCOMO is launching its Hanashite Hon’yaku app, which offers real-time translation of phonecalls.

Rather than making a call through the standard phone app, users
select a contact through Hanashite Hon’yaku if they will be talking to a
foreign language speaker. The app then automatically detects what
languages are being spoken before providing instant text translations.
Users have the option to see on-screen text translations or have the
voice engine provide an audio version. The app can also be used to
translate speech in a face-to-face conversation by getting both parties
to speak close to the phone. Hanashite Hon’yaku will be made available
to Android users on 1 November as a free download. Upon release, the app
will be able to translate between those speaking Japanese, English,
Chinese or Korean, although the company hopes to add French, German,
Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai by the end of
November.

In a hyper-connected world, one of the main difficulties is
communication between those of a different tongue and the Hanashite
Hon’yaku app aims to provide a solution to this problem. How else can
technology help break down language barriers to global conversation?
Website: www.nttdocomo.com
Contact: www.nttdocomo.com/contact
Spotted by: Murray Orange